Directory

1987 CE

A year marked by the Black Monday stock market crash, the INF Treaty between the superpowers, the Intifada in Palestine, and the Montreal Protocol on ozone depletion.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

  • The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed by President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev in December, eliminating all ground-launched nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers.
  • Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika continued to reshape the Soviet Union, introducing greater political openness and economic restructuring that would ultimately accelerate the country's transformation.
  • The Iran-Contra affair dominated American politics as congressional hearings revealed that the Reagan administration had secretly sold arms to Iran and funneled proceeds to Nicaraguan Contra rebels.
  • Margaret Thatcher won a third consecutive term as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in June, consolidating her political dominance and continuing her program of economic reform.
  • Mathias Rust, a West German teenager, flew a small Cessna aircraft from Helsinki to Moscow and landed near Red Square in May, embarrassing Soviet air defenses and leading to military leadership changes.
  • South Korea's pro-democracy movement forced President Chun Doo-hwan to accept constitutional reforms in June, including direct presidential elections, ending years of authoritarian rule.
  • Fiji experienced two military coups in May and September, led by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, overthrowing the elected government and establishing a republic.
  • The Esquipulas II peace agreement was signed in August by five Central American presidents, establishing a framework for ending civil wars in the region.
  • President Reagan visited the Berlin Wall in June and delivered his famous challenge to Gorbachev to tear it down.
  • The Tamil-Sinhalese ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka prompted India to send a peacekeeping force in July under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, though the intervention proved controversial and costly.

Conflict & Security

  • The First Intifada began in December in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, with widespread Palestinian protests, strikes, and stone-throwing confrontations with Israeli forces.
  • The Iran-Iraq War continued with devastating attacks, including Iraqi missile strikes on Iranian cities and Iran's targeting of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
  • The United States reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and provided naval escorts during the Tanker War, leading to confrontations with Iranian forces.
  • The civil war in Mozambique continued, with RENAMO rebels and government forces engaged in a conflict that killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
  • The Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland in November killed 11 people at a war memorial ceremony, carried out by the Provisional IRA.
  • The Afghan civil war continued as mujahideen forces, backed by the United States and Pakistan, fought against the Soviet-supported Afghan government.
  • Chad's forces, supported by France, defeated Libyan troops in the Toyota War in the Aouzou Strip, ending Libya's occupation of northern Chad.
  • The civil war in Angola continued, with Cuban forces supporting the MPLA government and the United States and South Africa backing UNITA rebels.
  • The LTTE carried out a major attack on a Sri Lankan military convoy in April, escalating the civil war between Tamil separatists and the government.
  • The Simla bombing in Punjab, India and continued Sikh militant activity underscored ongoing sectarian violence in the region.

Economy & Finance

  • Black Monday struck global financial markets on October 19 when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6% in a single day, the largest one-day percentage decline in its history.
  • The stock market crash spread globally, with markets in Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe experiencing sharp declines.
  • The U.S. economy continued to grow despite the October crash, with GDP expanding at approximately 3.5% and unemployment declining.
  • Japan's economy boomed, with the asset price bubble inflating further as stock prices and real estate values soared to unprecedented levels.
  • The Louvre Accord was signed in February by the G7 nations, agreeing to stabilize exchange rates after the rapid depreciation of the U.S. dollar following the 1985 Plaza Accord.
  • The European Community adopted the Single European Act in July, which entered into force and set a deadline for completing the internal market by the end of 1992.
  • The Soviet economy continued to stagnate despite Gorbachev's reform efforts, with declining productivity, consumer shortages, and growing public frustration.
  • Oil prices recovered somewhat from their 1986 collapse, with OPEC attempting to restrain production, though prices remained well below the peaks of the early 1980s.
  • Latin American nations continued to struggle with the debt crisis, with Brazil declaring a moratorium on interest payments to foreign banks in February.
  • The U.S. trade deficit widened, prompting political debates about Japanese and European trade practices and the competitiveness of American industry.

Technology & Infrastructure

  • The Supernova 1987A was observed in February, the closest supernova visible from Earth since 1604 and the first to be studied with modern telescopes and neutrino detectors.
  • IBM and Microsoft's relationship began to fracture as the companies pursued divergent strategies for personal computer operating systems.
  • The first permanent transatlantic telephone fiber-optic cable was planned, with construction underway for completion in 1988.
  • The Macintosh II was released by Apple in March, the first Macintosh with a color display and expandable architecture.
  • Digital audio technology advanced with the growing adoption of compact discs and the development of digital audio tape as a recording medium.
  • The Soviet Union launched the Mir space station's Kvant-1 module in March, expanding the capabilities of the orbiting laboratory.
  • Cellular phone networks continued to expand in major metropolitan areas, though mobile phones remained expensive and primarily used by business professionals.
  • The development of TCP/IP networking continued to advance, with the internet connecting approximately 30,000 computers at universities and research institutions worldwide.

Science & Discovery

  • Supernova 1987A was observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud in February, providing the first opportunity for modern astronomers to study a supernova explosion in detail.
  • The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in ceramic materials sparked enormous excitement in the physics community, with researchers achieving superconductivity at record temperatures.
  • The Soviet Mir space station received its first expansion module, Kvant-1, in April, beginning the station's development into a multi-module orbital complex.
  • Research on the human genome continued to advance, with improved gene-mapping techniques accelerating efforts that would lead to the formal Human Genome Project.
  • Scientists published research on the biological effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, documenting elevated radiation levels and health impacts across large areas of Europe.
  • The existence of dark matter was further supported by observations of galaxy rotation curves and gravitational lensing, though its composition remained unknown.
  • Allan Wilson and Rebecca Cann published their mitochondrial DNA study suggesting that all modern humans descended from a common female ancestor in Africa, popularized as the 'Mitochondrial Eve' hypothesis.
  • Climate scientists continued to refine computer models of global warming, with projections indicating significant temperature increases from continued greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The Cassini mission to Saturn began its planning phase, with NASA and the European Space Agency collaborating on the design of the spacecraft and its instruments.

Health & Medicine

  • The HIV/AIDS epidemic continued to expand, with the WHO estimating that approximately 5 million people were infected globally and the virus spreading rapidly in Africa and Asia.
  • AZT (zidovudine) was approved by the FDA in March as the first antiretroviral drug for treating HIV infection, though it was expensive and had significant side effects.
  • The WHO launched the Global Programme on AIDS in February, establishing the first coordinated international response to the epidemic under Jonathan Mann's leadership.
  • Prozac (fluoxetine) was approved by the FDA on December 29 as the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, though it would not be widely available in pharmacies until early 1988.
  • Global childhood vaccination campaigns continued to expand under the WHO's Expanded Programme on Immunization, with coverage reaching approximately 50% of the world's children.
  • Research on Alzheimer's disease advanced, with scientists identifying genetic markers associated with familial forms of the disease.
  • Tuberculosis remained a major global killer, with the disease disproportionately affecting developing nations and increasingly appearing alongside HIV infection.
  • The baby M surrogacy case in New Jersey generated national debate about reproductive ethics, parental rights, and the legal status of surrogacy agreements.
  • Smoking rates began to decline in some developed nations as public health campaigns and workplace restrictions reduced tobacco consumption.
  • Malaria continued to claim approximately 1 to 2 million lives annually, with drug-resistant strains of the parasite complicating treatment efforts in endemic regions.

Climate & Environment

  • The Montreal Protocol was signed in September, establishing a landmark international agreement to phase out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
  • The ozone hole over Antarctica reached its largest extent yet, strengthening the scientific and political case for the Montreal Protocol's adoption.
  • A devastating earthquake struck Ecuador in March, triggering landslides that destroyed a section of the Trans-Ecuadorian oil pipeline and killed approximately 1,000 people.
  • Severe wildfires burned across China's Greater Khingan range in May, destroying approximately 18 million acres of forest in one of the largest forest fires in modern history.
  • The Rhine River chemical spill of 1986 continued to affect European environmental policy, with stricter regulations on industrial chemical storage and transport implemented.
  • Global atmospheric CO2 concentrations continued to rise, reaching approximately 349 parts per million at the Mauna Loa Observatory.
  • Deforestation in tropical rainforests continued at high rates, with growing international concern about habitat loss and species extinction.
  • Severe flooding in Bangladesh during the monsoon season affected millions of people and caused extensive damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
  • The concept of sustainable development was advanced by the Brundtland Commission's report, 'Our Common Future,' published in April, defining sustainable development for future policy frameworks.
  • Oil spills and industrial pollution continued to threaten marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide, prompting calls for stronger environmental regulations.

Culture & Society

  • The global population reached approximately 5 billion, a milestone achieved in July according to United Nations estimates.
  • The Simpsons debuted as short animated segments on The Tracey Ullman Show in April, beginning what would become the longest-running American animated series.
  • Michael Jackson's Bad album was released in August, producing five number-one singles and reinforcing his status as the world's biggest pop star.
  • Platoon won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the ceremony held in March. The Last Emperor, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, was released later in the year.
  • U2's The Joshua Tree was released in March, becoming one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s and establishing the Irish band as one of the world's most popular rock acts.
  • The Star Trek franchise expanded with the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation on television in September, introducing a new generation to the science fiction universe.
  • The first Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand and Australia in May and June, with New Zealand winning the inaugural tournament.
  • Andy Warhol, the leading figure of the Pop Art movement, died in February at age 58, prompting reassessment of his influence on contemporary art and culture.
  • Van Gogh's Sunflowers sold at auction for approximately $40 million in March, setting a record for a painting at auction and reflecting the booming art market.
  • The televangelist scandal involving Jim Bakker drew national attention to financial and moral misconduct among prominent American religious figures.